tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89912909230082438102018-03-06T04:03:21.192-08:00This Is My LifeBroadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-90487582327189709472017-11-23T07:47:00.004-08:002017-11-23T07:47:27.892-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: WaitressSo Waitress has performed <a href="http://broadwaydude2378.blogspot.com/2016/11/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-waitress.html" target="_blank">on the parade before</a> (it was on the star last time) but now that they have new cast (Betsy Wolfe and Jason Mraz) and they're still cooking on Broadway! Instead of watching the whole cast performing Opening up or the sultry solo "She Used To Be Mine" (their previous go to talk show performances), it was fun to see "It Only Takes a Taste" (a cute duet between the two new stars). It showed the show's heart and fun side and certainly made me want to dig up the album and listen through it again.&nbsp; I think it's cool how CBS takes the time to let older shows return to the spotlight and remind us of how fun they can be and I thought this was a lovely performance.&nbsp; While it might not have brought the house down, it was very nice.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOR1gDlJMYQ/WhbS-oWERAI/AAAAAAAAAOA/8-DqNtKMZkMzxJtnacPkOXd1p-YK1GYrwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Waitress%2B-%2BWith%2BJason.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="228" data-original-width="221" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kOR1gDlJMYQ/WhbS-oWERAI/AAAAAAAAAOA/8-DqNtKMZkMzxJtnacPkOXd1p-YK1GYrwCEwYBhgL/s320/Waitress%2B-%2BWith%2BJason.png" width="310" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-21190524572193204742017-11-23T07:47:00.003-08:002017-11-23T07:47:22.969-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Come From Away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />So I know NBC is the place to watch the Parade and that's what we do too.&nbsp; But while NBC is covering the Broadway shows performing on the star, CBS has shows perform in their home theater and they broadcast those while they wait for the parade to reach them.<br /><br />Now I'm a huge fan of <i>Come From Away</i> so I was excited to see them perform anything, but I was definitely expecting "Welcome to the Rock" or "Me and the Sky."&nbsp; I was pleasantly surprised to get to see them perform a number I've NEVER seen before: "38 Planes (Reprise)/Somewhere in the Middle of Nowhere." I 100% understand why this isn't the song they usually perform at public appearances, while it's got a good energy and momentum and I feel does capture the spirit of the show pretty well, it does kind of catch up in the middle of these characters and can be best appreciated if you know the rest of the show that comes behind it.&nbsp; As someone who does know the rest of the show, it was so cool to get to see the story I've been hearing for so long.&nbsp; As always, Jen Colella and the whole cast killed it, the choreography (if you can call it that? Maybe just stylized movement) was awesome and I was just so excited the entire time.&nbsp; I maintain that this is one of the coolest shows to come to Broadway in a long time and it keeps me excited about what kind of great art we can expect for years to come! This show has a perfect thanksgiving message and this song captured that beautifully. Everyone should see this.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DavhkF_DXSY/WhbSGp-RjQI/AAAAAAAAANs/vEcOpstBcrUDpcDtBn6cBGtnL88Vf27-ACLcBGAs/s1600/Come%2Bfrom%2Baway.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DavhkF_DXSY/WhbSGp-RjQI/AAAAAAAAANs/vEcOpstBcrUDpcDtBn6cBGtnL88Vf27-ACLcBGAs/s320/Come%2Bfrom%2Baway.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-47713378193956858392017-11-23T06:57:00.004-08:002017-11-23T06:57:30.533-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Once On This IslandI AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS SHOW!!! So this is a great show written by an incredible duo who have some really innovative orchestrations, directed by a genius who has a super unique and fun vision for it, and has an all-star cast including some really cool non-traditional casting. In short, they're doing things differently, and it's great and I'm so excited.<br /><br />Ok, so this performance was a bit of a surprise. In most of the other performances and clips we've seen a lot of "Mama Will Provide" and "Waiting for Life" so it's fun to see the whole ensemble featured instead of just a couple of soloists. And even though I've been following this show and soaking up every piece of information I can about this show, I still got some cool surprises from this performance.&nbsp; I loved the way they did the costuming! The peasants weren't wearing rags or traditional tribal clothes as many productions do it, but wearing "homemade" costumes that were built off of what we would actually see on an island.&nbsp; And then, to contrast, we saw the Grand Om (spelling?) in their pearly whites showing the contrast that's so important to this show.&nbsp; I also didn't see the school children coming, but I definitely don't hate it! The show is about story telling (among other things) and usually that's interpreted by telling stories to the little girl/audience, but including other kids to be told is an exciting twist.&nbsp; The song itself was alright.&nbsp; I think it would be more fun to see in the space (it's meant to be performed in the Round on a stage they've filled with sand) but they did a good job with what they had and I remain more and more eager to see this gem of a show every time I learn something new about it!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SxfAbLgDyAc/WhbS9z9TU5I/AAAAAAAAAN0/hE9e0X1PcIIGulqKKLhh8l7O5_8K-LTcwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Once%2BOn%2BThis%2BIsland.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SxfAbLgDyAc/WhbS9z9TU5I/AAAAAAAAAN0/hE9e0X1PcIIGulqKKLhh8l7O5_8K-LTcwCEwYBhgL/s320/Once%2BOn%2BThis%2BIsland.png" width="207" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-87869217979392224102017-11-23T06:35:00.001-08:002017-11-23T06:35:20.812-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: AnastasiaSo the one thing I've heard about <i>Anastasia </i>is that it has beautiful costumes, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.&nbsp; Those clothes were gorgeous! As for the song...I can't say I'm a fan. I would've liked to have seen a more energetic group number, but I understand why they wanted to do what are probably the most beloved songs from the movie.&nbsp; But that still doesn't excuse using a solo as a Macy's number.&nbsp; The song was nice, and I suppose they were targeting the "little princesses" in the audience who would be drawn to a royal ball such as this, but I felt a little underwhelmed by it all.&nbsp; I would have appreciated it if they had utilized Derek Klena or Ramin Karimloo (or whoever has taken over his role if he's already gone).&nbsp; This venue doesn't allow you to really get immersed in the world, so I think (generally) it's safer to go "fun" than "beautiful."<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vwg4DAvL2PY/WhbS-M_Y8CI/AAAAAAAAAN8/gy-pEJCBXFsU_UKkRbg63v7XlLjDPMz8QCEwYBhgL/s1600/Anastasia.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="809" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vwg4DAvL2PY/WhbS-M_Y8CI/AAAAAAAAAN8/gy-pEJCBXFsU_UKkRbg63v7XlLjDPMz8QCEwYBhgL/s320/Anastasia.png" width="253" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-39411611561512950712017-11-23T06:26:00.004-08:002017-11-23T06:26:59.231-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Dear Evan HansenLET'S TAKE A MOMENT TO THANK THE WORLD FOR DEAR EVAN HANSEN NOT DOING WAVING THROUGH A WINDOW AGAIN.<br /><br />Ok, now for this performance. They picked the perfect song (that they SHOULD have done for the Tony's). As far as I'm concerned it's <i>the</i> Broadway anthem for this generation and a great message to share on Thanksgiving.&nbsp; It was interesting to see a Broadway performance this stripped down. They were wearing what could easily pass as street clothes and, since the DEH set is so heavily based on projections and lighting, there wasn't any set to be brought in. They even gave the cast the mics that they give the singers on the float instead of having them do it as they would in the show.&nbsp; I'll be honest, I think they were still lip synching (because I think they have to in that space) but it did give the song a more natural feel.&nbsp; Also, I'm proud of my boy Noah Galvin (who I've thought was awesome since The Burnt Part Boys) finally making it big and leading his cast through a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade number! He was a little shaky starting up, but he killed it.&nbsp; It was really nice to see the cast give an important (if a little underwhelming) performance. DEH is selling out like crazy and they didn't need this performance to sell tickets, this was for us...and I appreciate that.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-97J0Nbe6sEY/WhbR96Zh2HI/AAAAAAAAANo/4GXr3kxKrPY5jWtlfaUxscDuK-pj5szaQCLcBGAs/s1600/Dear%2BEvan%2BHansen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="355" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-97J0Nbe6sEY/WhbR96Zh2HI/AAAAAAAAANo/4GXr3kxKrPY5jWtlfaUxscDuK-pj5szaQCLcBGAs/s320/Dear%2BEvan%2BHansen.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-19724808288379135002017-11-23T06:19:00.000-08:002017-11-23T06:19:09.020-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: SpongeBob SquarePantsSo we've been aware that SpongeBob has been heading to Broadway for a while now.&nbsp; Most Broadway purists have been <a href="https://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2015/03/why-this-broadway-bound-musical-worries-me.html" target="_blank">a bit worried</a> about what SpongeBob might mean for Broadway, but so far it's shown some promise. The design (costume/set) is brilliant, the cast impressive (Gavin Lee!) and the music can be fairly catchy! I've seen lots of highlight reels, but this was my first time seeing a full number.<br /><br />They picked the perfect song.&nbsp; Having listened through the full soundtrack (you can find it <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/09/14/550446601/first-listen-spongebob-squarepants-original-cast-recording" target="_blank">here</a>) I can tell you this song is one of the gems.&nbsp; It's fun, high energy, and gives a good window into the tone of the show.&nbsp; It's a world building opening number and those are (in my opinion) some of the best parade numbers.&nbsp; Our fearless leader had a little trouble with the lip syncing at the beginning there and that put a bit of a damper on the first half of the song before the ensemble jumped in, but it got back on it's feet when it got bigger! I think that's what this show is going to be.&nbsp; It's going to shine when it can dazzle and over-stimulate and suffer when it tries to zoom in and try to have "heart."&nbsp; But despite what I think about the show, this was a good opening number. The people who are going to want to see this show will like this number, and that's what it's all about. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z1mrIG0ONmI/WhbS-DZfX6I/AAAAAAAAAN4/tVaPGZhZjz40YoQgaFeM-xIt3Qcg6NIvwCEwYBhgL/s1600/SpongeBob.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="305" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z1mrIG0ONmI/WhbS-DZfX6I/AAAAAAAAAN4/tVaPGZhZjz40YoQgaFeM-xIt3Qcg6NIvwCEwYBhgL/s1600/SpongeBob.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-32207216722959792032017-11-23T06:08:00.000-08:002017-11-23T06:08:05.181-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Opening NumberSo that was fun! The opening number of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is always a good time! The past few years they've had Broadway shows do the opening numbers (On Your Feet last year and On The Town the year before).&nbsp; But I really enjoyed this original number!&nbsp; I'll be honest, I wasn't sure if it was a commercial or the actual thing when it started, but it ended up being really good.&nbsp; To transition from the pre-recorded portion to the live dance number at the Macy's Star was a fun reveal and I thought it captured the general community spirit and joyous attitude that make this parade, and this whole season, so wonderful! Happy Thanksgiving all!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QbszHhtNr34/WhbWBqinHFI/AAAAAAAAAOY/7Rop32avz-sT6-Wgowtoakupt7mu_E__QCLcBGAs/s1600/Parade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QbszHhtNr34/WhbWBqinHFI/AAAAAAAAAOY/7Rop32avz-sT6-Wgowtoakupt7mu_E__QCLcBGAs/s320/Parade.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-38027869593748534292016-11-24T09:11:00.004-08:002016-11-24T09:11:41.542-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: The Color Purple<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last performance of the day was <i>The Color Purple</i> (performing on their home stage and aired on CBS) and it might have been my favorite. &nbsp;The producers were smart in choosing to make this a "CBS" performance because there wasn't enough dancing for it to make sense on the Macy's star. &nbsp;They also made smart choices on songs by performing a medley the opening and closing number which featured both the whole ensemble and the massive powerhouse of talent that is Cynthia Erivo. &nbsp;The songs were powerful and gave a great window into what the show actually was, soulful, deep, and apologetically beautiful. &nbsp;I'll admit that I'm not a huge fan of this show, but I've been repeatedly impressed by this cast/production and this performance further swayed me that this production earned it's Tony Awards.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_gfEK608Zl8/WDbw3QbbIiI/AAAAAAAAAM4/3vSBOeq7QhYdudi5Gxq3xI3I_sovgVJyQCLcB/s1600/The%2BColor%2BPurple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_gfEK608Zl8/WDbw3QbbIiI/AAAAAAAAAM4/3vSBOeq7QhYdudi5Gxq3xI3I_sovgVJyQCLcB/s1600/The%2BColor%2BPurple.jpg" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-7413046516289823072016-11-24T08:49:00.003-08:002016-11-24T08:49:39.106-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: The School of RockYou may have noticed that one my biggest pet peeves for parade performances is lack of originality. &nbsp;I was concerned when I saw that <i>School of Rock</i> was performing again because we already saw them last year and there are really only two songs they can ever perform. &nbsp;Sure enough, the song they performed "Stick it to the Man" is one that we've seen before, but this year there was something new...the distinct lack of Alex Brightman. &nbsp;I've long said that the main reason <i>School of Rock</i> has the success it has was because of the infectious energy and charisma of Mr. Brightman. &nbsp;The new fellow they have, Eric Petersen, did fine. &nbsp;They did a good job with not making him a carbon copy of Alex, but I can't help but feel he was more...tame. &nbsp;The performance was good. &nbsp;And I supposed if I hadn't already been aware of Alex Brightman's brilliance I would've thought it was even better, but as it stands...I was just depressed. &nbsp;And I'd be surprised if School of Rock is still here by the summer.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h6-DvfeqPJk/WDbvVEUNTsI/AAAAAAAAAMc/1N6ywBC4xHslG0QkgOwodI_JeI_SFPwnwCLcB/s1600/School%2Bof%2BRock.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h6-DvfeqPJk/WDbvVEUNTsI/AAAAAAAAAMc/1N6ywBC4xHslG0QkgOwodI_JeI_SFPwnwCLcB/s320/School%2Bof%2BRock.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-16649825126779888872016-11-24T08:07:00.005-08:002016-11-24T08:07:47.748-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: On Your Feet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are a few Broadway mysteries in life that we may never understand. &nbsp;Why is the lyric in Castle on a Cloud "There are a hundred boys and girls"? How does one actually turn off the dark? &nbsp;And how on God's green earth is On Your Feet still running?! &nbsp;I mean, I acknowledge that this show wasn't made for me. &nbsp;I don't care for Latin Pop Music, I prefer original fictions to adapted biopics, and Jukebox musicals make me twitch. &nbsp;That being said, I'm not alone in my dislike for On Your Feet. &nbsp;It received mixed reviews from critics, it hasn't been doing well in the box office, and the Tony Awards didn't care for it much either. &nbsp; &nbsp;We saw it in the Parade last year and enjoyed the energy and "spunk" that they brought to the proceedings. &nbsp;This year, as one of CBS's shows that perform from the theater, they did a very similar performance. &nbsp;There was some great dancing, some mega-talented little kids, and some nostalgic music...but all in all it reminded me more of a Vegas tribute show than something that belongs on Broadway.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRTynv0uRKc/WDbxKfabJkI/AAAAAAAAAM8/oY-ImY2gvvAmRl2y7EYLiPb6BSFptaenwCLcB/s1600/On%2BYour%2BFeet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRTynv0uRKc/WDbxKfabJkI/AAAAAAAAAM8/oY-ImY2gvvAmRl2y7EYLiPb6BSFptaenwCLcB/s320/On%2BYour%2BFeet.jpg" width="228" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-12447550283551271262016-11-24T07:03:00.001-08:002016-11-24T07:03:09.220-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Hairspray Live<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Can't say I love Hairspray as a show, but NBC's live shows have been improving as they go, so this show could be fun. &nbsp;It has an interesting cast with Kristin Chenoweth and Harvey Fierstein surprising nobody with their roles, picking an unknown for Tracy (which is becoming a tradition now it seems) and returning Ariana Grande to her Broadway roots as Penny Pingleton. &nbsp;I'd like to say that this show is more than it's cast...but I'm not sure that's really true. &nbsp;This performance confirmed that what we're going to see on December 7th is the exact same Hairspray that your high school did, just with some more famous people. &nbsp;I thought this performance was alright. &nbsp;They chose the obvious number and didn't even transfer it to the square and just performed it on the set (which honestly didn't add anything. &nbsp;But perhaps they feared if they hadn't don'e that, people wouldn't be able to differentiate this from the time the original cast performed You Can't Stop the beat on the star in 2002, or the time the movie cast performed You Cant Stop The Beat on a float in 2007). &nbsp;If anybody got any new information about this show from this performance, it must be because they've never even heard of the show. &nbsp;This production played it safe, and while I'm a bit disappointed, I'm not particularly surprised.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZA4LpJfNSAw/WDbwjVOdDiI/AAAAAAAAAM0/7SZbFMa2Rzc5Z0n7wd_0FLnIPKH9YWz6wCLcB/s1600/Hairspray%2BLive.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZA4LpJfNSAw/WDbwjVOdDiI/AAAAAAAAAM0/7SZbFMa2Rzc5Z0n7wd_0FLnIPKH9YWz6wCLcB/s320/Hairspray%2BLive.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-82945673160527319582016-11-24T06:45:00.002-08:002016-11-24T06:45:12.355-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Paramour<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So Paramour has had an interesting journey. &nbsp;We actually saw it on a float in last year's parade, and while there was lots of money and hype put into it, critically it hasn't done very well. &nbsp;I'm still very interested in it, but I'm having trouble getting my mind around it. &nbsp;I haven't been able to find a soundtrack, and all the videos seem to be the same kind of thing. &nbsp;This performance falls into that as well. &nbsp;"Hollywood Wiz" and the title song are the only numbers I've ever really been able to hear in the show...which makes me wonder if there's much depth outside of that. &nbsp;Now, I thought this performance was super cool. &nbsp;I loved the acrobatics, the unicycling, the Chinese yoyo, all of it, I thought it was a stellar performance. &nbsp;But this, in conjunction with the rest of what I've seen, makes me now if the show has any substance behind the spectacle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have to point out though, I'm so VERY excited that Ryan Vona is staring in this cast. &nbsp;Not to sound too creepy, but I've been a fan of this kid since he was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqhrIREa-go" target="_blank">in hischool</a>&nbsp;and I think it's so freaking cool that he's staring in a Broadway show now. &nbsp;I expect/hope we see lots more amazing work from this guy in the years to come!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QuvRSQ2USz4/WDbwWDz4CVI/AAAAAAAAAMw/sUaZuZpj0nA8ByTVl9_0AhfaT3oMToUqgCLcB/s1600/Paramour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QuvRSQ2USz4/WDbwWDz4CVI/AAAAAAAAAMw/sUaZuZpj0nA8ByTVl9_0AhfaT3oMToUqgCLcB/s320/Paramour.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-81780081276270908282016-11-24T06:33:00.000-08:002016-11-24T06:33:11.346-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Cats<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm just gonna say it. &nbsp;I like cats. &nbsp;I know that nobody else does, but I think it's fun. &nbsp;That being said, I maintain that there's no point reviving something unless you do something different with it. &nbsp;And I see absolutely no evidence that they're doing anything remotely different with this show. &nbsp;The costumes were almost identical to the movie (except Grizabella), the choreography (from Hamilton's Andy Blankenbuehler) was hardly distinguishable from the original, and Grizabella was the only character they seemed to do anything remotely different with. &nbsp;Now, I'm not saying it's a bad performance, I thought they did excellent and I would love to watch the show. &nbsp;But I can't say that it belongs on Broadway, and this performance kind of confirms that.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KOBxADAJgzw/WDbvx9fcomI/AAAAAAAAAMg/mmyvdLRyjTEgLX1G-LRHXwn76AJf9Y6YACLcB/s1600/Cats%2BRevivla.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KOBxADAJgzw/WDbvx9fcomI/AAAAAAAAAMg/mmyvdLRyjTEgLX1G-LRHXwn76AJf9Y6YACLcB/s320/Cats%2BRevivla.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-2087725326729210072016-11-24T06:27:00.000-08:002016-11-24T06:27:11.210-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Waitress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'll be honest, I forgot Waitress opened this year. &nbsp;It was such a staple at this year's Tony Awards, I kind of thought it was last year. &nbsp;That being said, I am a fan of the show, and I'm also a fan of this performance. &nbsp;I appreciate their not starting with "Opening Up" (which I've seen on every morning talkshow on television). &nbsp;The other song did a nice job of showing the softer side of the show and I think effectively contrasted the closing number they ended with. &nbsp;I do have to say, it was a little weird not seeing&nbsp;Keala Settle, Kikimo Glen, or&nbsp;Christopher Fitzgerald in the show...but aside from that, nothing negative to say. &nbsp;They were great!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jAypev2WHbo/WDbwLb1zlUI/AAAAAAAAAMs/QId2kvjiIHIm5q1wO1p37XQ86MKLJIu-gCLcB/s1600/Waitress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jAypev2WHbo/WDbwLb1zlUI/AAAAAAAAAMs/QId2kvjiIHIm5q1wO1p37XQ86MKLJIu-gCLcB/s320/Waitress.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-31153121201468503722016-11-24T06:20:00.002-08:002016-11-24T06:20:14.013-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Holiday Inn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I remember watching the old Bing Crosby/Fred Astaire movie years ago, and so I was excited to see it come to Broadway. &nbsp;By bringing in Bryce Pinkham and Corbin Blu, they latched on to the idea of bringing in big stars to jazz up a possibly out of date show. &nbsp;I'm still thinking that this is going to be a fairly average show, but I thought their Parade performance was solid. &nbsp;Unfortunately, here in Georgia, the footage skipped and cut out (I almost missed Bryce Pinkham juggling!) but aside from that I enjoyed it all! &nbsp;I had seen this particular song before and it was a great choice! &nbsp;The dancing is the show's strong point and the jump rope tap dance is probably the coolest thing they do in the show. &nbsp;Unfortunately, the jump rope bit did kind of make it obvious that the song was pre-recorded, but that's unavoidable. &nbsp;All in all, it's still not my kind of show, but this was a great performance and I hope it has a healthy run on the great white way!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1SLZk2c3lM/WDbwAaHPeEI/AAAAAAAAAMk/OohNQlPrgQgZptdt7SnLNUP5UU7MbHZdACLcB/s1600/Holiday%2BInn.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d1SLZk2c3lM/WDbwAaHPeEI/AAAAAAAAAMk/OohNQlPrgQgZptdt7SnLNUP5UU7MbHZdACLcB/s400/Holiday%2BInn.gif" width="270" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-60807957557723224112015-11-26T08:38:00.003-08:002015-11-26T08:38:48.993-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: School of RockSo it came a little bit later than the rest of them, but <i>School of Rock</i> still got it's moment on the Parade.&nbsp; I'm still not sure if I'm in favor of this musical adaptation of the Jack Black movie, but Andrew Lloyd Webber has written the music and Alex Brightman is staring, so they're at least doing some things right.&nbsp; They've released a few a few songs that are alright so I think that there is some hope for it...but this was not a point in it's favor.&nbsp; It was an interesting choice to put the show on a float instead of having it perform at the start, and I don't think it particularly worked.&nbsp; I'm not sure that everybody is going to realize that this was a Broadway performance instead of an odd little rock group sponsored by a record store.&nbsp; I suppose that the thought behind it was that <i>School of Rock</i> doesn't have any dance numbers so they justified a stationary song by putting it on a float, but it did make it pretty underwhelming compared to all of the rest of the performances.&nbsp; I do still like Alex Brightman in the role (I've been a fan for some time and I'm excited to see him get his big break) and I think it might be a "cute" show, but I don't expect to love it and I definitely didn't love this performance.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.classicalite.com/data/images/full/18669/can-school-of-rock-the-musical-by-andrew-lloyd-webber-punch-its-own-ticket.jpg?w=600" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.classicalite.com/data/images/full/18669/can-school-of-rock-the-musical-by-andrew-lloyd-webber-punch-its-own-ticket.jpg?w=600" height="225" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-6715579319799728052015-11-26T07:06:00.001-08:002015-11-26T07:06:22.344-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: The Wiz LiveI for one am really a fan of these new "live on tv" musicals and I think it's really smart that NBC is using their own network to plug their show.&nbsp; And, in my opinion, these performances have improved every year (going from a disappointing <i>Sound of Music</i>, to a kind of fun <i>Peter Pan</i>, to a fully fleshed out and enjoyable <i>Wiz</i>).&nbsp; I'm a little neutral on the Wiz as a show, but I am excited about this performance.&nbsp; They chose the perfect (albeit obvious) song, "Brand New Day," that not only highlighted the ensemble, each of the main stars, and had some high energy dancing.&nbsp; While I don't really understand the neon orange gym clothes as a costume choice, I thought the dancing was fitting, and I really liked the other costumes (although my family was a bit frightened by the scarecrow's).&nbsp; They weren't able to include any of the Cirque Du Soleil parts of this collaboration (which is probably largely do to the space limitations), which disappointed me because I'm really curious to see how that plays in, but that just makes me want to tune in more to the performance.&nbsp; All of this performance, in conjunction with the first trailer for the show that performed directly after the performance, got me excited to see <i>The Wiz</i> (despite the unforgivable lack of Christian Borle) and I think it'll be NBC's best live musical yet.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://dailyvenusdiva.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Watch-NBC-releases-first-teaser-trailer-for-The-Wiz-Live.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://dailyvenusdiva.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Watch-NBC-releases-first-teaser-trailer-for-The-Wiz-Live.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-68432672991404612302015-11-26T06:46:00.000-08:002015-11-26T06:46:18.993-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Fiddler On The RoofAgain, I'm not a huge fan of <i>Fiddler</i> in general, and I don't know if I'm glad that this revival is existing, but I have to admit that this was a good performance.&nbsp; They highlighted their big star (Danny Burnstein, who seems to have become Broadway's quintessential old Jewish guy, and I've no doubt that this revival was created with him in mind), used a well known song from the show (my grandmother even commented on how she was a fan of this song), and it was a good high energy dance number.&nbsp; This was also my first time seeing anything from this new revival, and it was interesting.&nbsp; The costumes and such were a little abnormal from what I saw (more modern than I was expecting) but it looks like they may be doing some cool things with this revival.&nbsp; Again, I think this performance (and maybe this whole revival) is aimed at Broadway buffs who remember loving the original show, and this performance did get me in the "Fiddler Spirit."&nbsp; I still don't plan on enjoying the revival, but if I was the kind of person who was, then I think I'd be very pleased with this performance.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.newyork.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/fiddler-on-the-roof-key-art_250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.newyork.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/fiddler-on-the-roof-key-art_250.jpg" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-85305310469813363122015-11-26T06:37:00.002-08:002015-11-26T06:37:41.608-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Something RottenI've said it from the beginning, <i>Something Rotten</i> is all that I love about Broadway!&nbsp; It's one of the most brilliantly original musicals that Broadway has seen in a while and I'm so glad that it's still popular.&nbsp; The song they performed on the parade, <i>It's A Musical</i>, is the song that they performed on the Tony's (which, as always, disappointing me a little, because I always prefer to see something new), but they've done a good job at using a plethora of different songs at all of the talk shows and stuff, so they're forgiven.&nbsp; Because this song really was a brilliant choice.&nbsp; It's a hilarious song, has all of the musical references (And I got to feel smart as I explained a few of them to my family), and is a great representation of the fun silliness that is this show.&nbsp; Of course, I'm very sad that we didn't get to see my favorite person ever, Christian Borle, perform (hopefully he finds a way to weasel himself into the next NBC live show...I could see him in <i>the Wiz</i>), but aside from that, full points to <i>Something Rotten</i>, they did something beautiful!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.germmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/something-wrotten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.germmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/something-wrotten.jpg" height="192" width="400" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-7459357345599374142015-11-26T06:29:00.000-08:002015-11-26T06:29:01.977-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parde: Finding Neverland<i>Finding Neverland</i>, is an interesting case, it's kind of the Broadway show that refused to believe they weren't the best.&nbsp; Like, when it was being pitched, it was expected to be stellar, then it came out, got mixed reviews and no Tony Nominations, but it's as if nobody told them, for they kept going and are still grossing high on Broadway!&nbsp; I think this performance is one of the reasons they've been able to be so successful.&nbsp; Now, I'll be the first to admit that I had to stifle a laugh when I heard Matthew Morison's accent, but, that being said, he did give a good performance.&nbsp; This song did a great job of blending the two aspects of the great previous performances (family fun and high energy) and was an excellent example of why this show is still kicking.&nbsp; I loved the song choice (I know they've performed it on talk shows before, but I appreciated it not being the one they did on the Tony's).&nbsp; All in all, I think it was the best performance of the Morning so far!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1.wp.com/www.confrontmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Finding-Neverland-Songs-From-The-Musical.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i1.wp.com/www.confrontmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Finding-Neverland-Songs-From-The-Musical.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-77816701644009562102015-11-26T06:20:00.003-08:002015-11-26T06:20:53.679-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: The King and IFriends of mine (or anybody who listens to me when I rant), knows that I'm not a big fan of Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, so The King and I is nothing special to me.&nbsp; That being said, this new revival has done a really good job and I'm glad it's been successful.&nbsp; This year, the producers were smart by putting all of their best feet forward (Cute kids, gorgeous costumes, and Kelli O'Hara being brilliant) with their performance of "Getting to Know You."&nbsp; It was a kind of boring performance, but a sweet one.&nbsp; It definite contrasted On Your Feet, the energy dropped a lot, but you know, that might be ok.&nbsp; Like I said, it's a cute song, so if they were targeting the familys (who are probably the ones watching), it's a nice calm talented number.&nbsp; And for a long running Rodgers and Hammerstein show, that's not a bad route to take.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://sep.yimg.com/ay/playbill/the-king-and-i-the-2015-broadway-cast-recording-3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://sep.yimg.com/ay/playbill/the-king-and-i-the-2015-broadway-cast-recording-3.gif" width="400" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-40085256626398340602015-11-26T06:13:00.002-08:002015-11-26T07:07:44.125-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: On Your FeetLast year, <a href="http://broadwaydude2378.blogspot.com/2014/11/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-on-town.html" target="_blank"><i>On The Town</i></a> started a cool trend by starting off the parade broadcast with a performance.&nbsp; This year, that honor went to the new Latin pop musical On Your Feet (the story of Gloria Estevan), who performed a fun medley of several songs.&nbsp; While I'm not a huge fan of Latin pop music so I don't foresee being a big fan of the show, I thought the performance was great!&nbsp; It was a good, high energy way to start the show, they did a good job of featuring several characters (or at least several soloists), and the dancing was cool too!&nbsp; I get the feeling that the target audience they were going for is not Broadway enthusiasts like me, so I understand why they didn't chose a song that told the story or carried the plot or anything, if I was a person who just liked to see cool Latin music, this performance would definitely make me want to buy tickets!&nbsp; Well done <i>On Your Feet</i>!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://broadwayinchicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/OYF_1000x1000_New.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://broadwayinchicago.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/OYF_1000x1000_New.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-72804908429311839932015-05-28T16:03:00.001-07:002015-05-28T16:03:19.907-07:00Tony Nominations 2015Hey guys, guess what?! IT'S TONY TIME!!!! I know everybody's got a busy summer so I'll spare you the long introductions.&nbsp; Here's my thoughts on this Year's nominations!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/229/files/2013/12/tony-black-logo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/229/files/2013/12/tony-black-logo.jpg" height="322" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />Annaleigh Ashford - <i>You Can't Take it With You</i><br />Patricia Clarkson - <i>The Elephant Man</i><br /><b>Lydia Leonard - <i>Wolf Hall Parts One &amp; Two</i></b><br />Sarah Stiles - <i>Hand to God</i><br />Julia White - <i>Airline Highway&nbsp;</i><br /><br />At the risk of sounding petty, I feel like this category is going to come down to battle between the young and the old.&nbsp; Annaleigh Ashford and Sarah stiles both bring a light, comedic, and bubbly charm to their childlike characters, where Patricia Clarkson and Julia White have a more aged, regal flair to their characters.&nbsp; Lydia Leonard is the only one to bridge the gap, playing a relatively young Anne Bolynn, who still has the sternness and bitterness of her older compatriots.&nbsp; I'm afraid many of the reviews/videos I've seen don't give me much to see of most of these actresses so it's hard to really know whose performance was the best.&nbsp; Personally, I kind of hope either Sarah or Annaleigh will win because I enjoyed their performances more, but I feel like Supporting Actress of a Play almost always goes to the more serious older women.&nbsp; I'm tentatively saying Lydia Leonard because her show is still running (unlike Patricia Clarkson) and she was given more of a spotlight as opposed to Julia White who was in more of an ensemble show.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><u>Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play</u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Matthew Beard - <i>Skylight</i><br />K. Todd Freeman <i>- Airline Highway </i><br />Richard McCabe - <i>The Audience</i><br />Alessandro Nivola - <i>The Elephant Man</i><br /><b>Nathaniel Parker - <i>Wolf Hall Parts One &amp; Two</i></b><br />Micah Stock - <i>It's Only a Play </i><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I'm afraid the Broadway gods have it out for me because I can't for the life of me find much material on any of these guy's performances.&nbsp; Many of them are skipped over by the big names in their respective plays or just kind of lost in the shuffle so while I'm certain that they're all immensely talented and gave stunning performances...I am not getting to see any of them.&nbsp;&nbsp; So I just kind of checked the internet and most of them thought that Matthew Beard and Micah Stock have next to no chance at winning (which I kind of agree with) and K. Todd Freeman isn't fairing much better.&nbsp; So it's between the other three boys and the folks on the web (if they can be believed) seem to think that Nathaniel Parker (who won an Olivier for the role in London) is the favorite, so he's going to get my vote too.&nbsp; If nothing else, I think they're going to want to give <i>Wolf Hall</i> <b>something</b>, and I don't necessarily see it winning much else.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><b>Christian Borle - <i>Something Rotten!</i></b><br />Andy Karl - <i>On the Twentieth Century</i><br />Brad Oscar - <i>Something Rotten!</i><br />Brandon Uranowitz - <i>An American in Paris</i><br />Max von Essen - <i>An American in Paris</i><br /><br />This is always a tough category.&nbsp; In my opinion, perhaps the most talented people on Broadway are the supporting actors in musicals, so there's always a ton of good people here.&nbsp; However, I feel like I have to say Christian Borle both because the man is brilliant (I've loved everything he's ever done) and because he has the best role for it.&nbsp; Much like last year's winner (James Monroe Igglehart - AKA the Genie in <i>Aladdin</i>), Christian has received just as much, if not more, publicity than the leads in his show and he certainly seems to be a big part of what carries the show.&nbsp; It's a perfect role for him and he's charming everybody.&nbsp; It's possible Max von Essen will steal it from him if the Tony committee is feeling particularly "classy" (<i>Something Rotten!</i> is admittedly a bit crude), but I think it's most likely Christian Borle will take it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Victoria Clark - <i>Gigi</i><br />Judy Kuhn - <i>Fun Home</i><br /><b>Sydney Lucas - <i>Fun Home</i></b><br />Ruthie Ann Miles - <i>The King and I</i><br />Emily Skeggs - <i>Fun Home</i><br /><br />Ok, I'm gonna say with relative certainty that the actress playing Allison Bechdel should win this award.&nbsp; I'm sure Victoria Clark was good, but none of the videos or reviews I can find from the show talk about her much, and she's the only nominee in a show that really didn't do so well, so I don't think she'll win.&nbsp; Ruthie Ann Miles was surely excellent, but her role (the King of Siam's "main" wife) just wasn't that big, and didn't by any means carry the show.&nbsp; This just leaves the <i>Fun Home</i> girls, Judy Kuhn (Helen Bechdel), Sydney Lucas (Small Allison) and Emily Skeggs (Medium Allison).&nbsp; Judy Kuhn is a talented Broadway veteran who certainly gave a good performance, but in my opinion all three Allisons (Emily, Sydney, and Beth Malone, who plays the main "Allison") are the reason to see the show.&nbsp; Choosing between Emily and Sydney is a really tough choice.&nbsp; If it were up to me, I think I'd like to see Emily win, she had a more complex role and had such a beautifully natural way of acting through all of her songs.&nbsp; However, Sydney Lucas is the little girl that surprised everyone, gets some of the best numbers in the show, and probably makes a bigger impression on most viewers, so I think she's the most likely to get the award.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Best Direction of a Play</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Stephen Daldry - <i>Skylight</i><br /><b>Marianne Elliott - <i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</i></b><br />Scott Ellis - <i>You Can't Take It with You</i><br />Jeremy Herrin - <i>Wolf Hall Parts One &amp; Two</i><br />Moritz von Stuelpnagel - <i>Hand to God</i><br /><br />This one isn't really that close.&nbsp; It seems almost like cheating, because Marianne already won for directing this show in England and now she's going to get another award for doing (basically) the same thing, but she honestly deserves it.&nbsp; <i>"Curious Incident"</i> is one of the best examples I've ever seen on the stage of fine direction, between getting complex reactions out of actors, unifying an ensemble, integrating tech, and creating an atmosphere to envelop the show and the audience...it just doesn't get better than this.&nbsp; If Marianne doesn't win, I'll be pretty shocked.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">&nbsp;<u>Best Direction of a Musical</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><b>Sam Gold - <i>Fun Home</i></b><br />Casey Nicholaw - <i>Something Rotten!</i><br />John Rando - <i>On the Town</i><br />Bartlett Sher - <i>The King and I</i><br />Christopher Wheeldon - <i>An American in Paris </i></div><br />I firmly believe that Sam Gold should win, and I think it's likely he will.&nbsp; <i>Fun Home</i> has some complex storytelling (it's not a linear storyline and we jump the timeline pretty regularly) and is performed in the round which makes it perhaps the most challenging musical to direct this year, and still he made the story beautiful and touching without being confusing.&nbsp; However, all the directors here were pretty great.&nbsp; John Rando and Bartlett Sher both did a great job of taking old musicals that shouldn't really feel applicable in today's society and made them current.&nbsp; Christopher Wheeldon and Casey Nicholaw both choreographed their own shows and might've won if their dance work could be included in this category, but splitting their work between two different categories kind of weakens their chances in my opinion.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Best Choreography</u></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b>Joshua Bergasse - <i>On the Town</i><br />Christopher Gattelli - <i>The King and I</i><br />Scott Graham &amp; Steven Hoggett - <i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;">Casey Nicholaw - <i>Something Rotten!</i><br /><b>Christopher Wheeldon - <i>An American in Paris</i></b><br /><br />I'd bet the farm that this is either going to go to <i>An American in Paris</i> or <i>On the Town</i>.&nbsp; <i>The King and I</i> and <i>Something Rotten!</i>&nbsp; Both had good choreography, but they're not really "dance shows."&nbsp; This means that the choreography was exactly what it ought to be, but nothing too incredible.&nbsp; Now it's really interesting that the <i>"Curious Incident" </i>guys got nominated.&nbsp; I see why they were because there is a lot of very precise movement (much of which is set to music) in this show, but it can't match the technical difficulty of the ACTUAL dancing in the musicals, so I don't expect this to win.&nbsp; Between <i>On the Town</i> and <i>An American in Paris</i>, it's kind of a tough call because it seems to me to be very different dancing.&nbsp; The lighthearted tapping of <i>On the Town</i> is fun, but the beautiful ballet of <i>An American in Paris</i> feels more like what the artsy Tony Voters would go for, so I think it has the edge.<br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><u>Best Orchestrations</u></span><br /><b><br /></b><b>Christopher Austin, Don Sebesky, &amp; Bill Elliott - <i>An American in Paris</i></b><br />John Clancy - <i>Fun Home</i><br />Larry Hochman - <i>Something Rotten! </i><br />Rob Mathes - <i>The Last Ship</i><br /><br />Orchestrations is always a tough one for me because I have trouble distinguishing between best score and best orchestrations.&nbsp; I can say that I liked most of the orchestrations in <i>The Last Ship</i>, but I think that score was kind of weak, so I don't think it'll win.&nbsp; While I enjoyed the <i>Fun Home</i> score, I didn't find it particularly "melodic" which I feel will hurt it in this category.&nbsp; This makes it a toss up between <i>An American in Paris </i>and <i>Something Rotten!.</i>&nbsp; I'll go with <i>An American in Paris</i> for a lack of a better idea.<br /><br /><u>Best Scenic Design of a Play</u><br /><br />Bunny Christie &amp; Finn Ross - <i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</i><br />Bob Crowley - <i>Skylight </i><br />Christopher Oram - <i>Wolf Hall Parts One &amp; Two</i><br /><b>David Rockwell - <i>You Can't Take it With You</i></b><br /><br />I'd be utterly shocked if <i>Skylight</i> or <i>Wolf Hall</i> won this one, it'll be between <i>"Curious Incident"</i> and <i>You Can't Take it With You</i>.&nbsp; <i>"Curious Incident"</i> is tough because it was a weird blend of simple and complicated.&nbsp; The set itself wasn't all that much, but what they did with it was super cool.&nbsp; The problem is, I can't really tell if what they did with it counts as lighting, set, or projections.&nbsp; I'm pretty sure there were LED lights in the set...does that count as lighting or no?&nbsp; So that feels like a weird one to judge and it really just depends on how the Tony Voters think about the category.&nbsp; However, the good old fashioned solid set of <i>You Can't Take it With You</i> full of clutter, fireworks, skulls, xylophones and brilliance is a safe bet.&nbsp; I think it's more likely to win.<b><i> </i></b><br /><br /><u>Best Scenic Design of a Musical</u><br /><br />Bob Crowley &amp; 59 Productions - <i>An American in Paris</i><br />David Rockwell - <i>On the Twentieth Century</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>&nbsp;</i>Michael Yeargan - <i>The King and I</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>&nbsp;</i><b>David Zinn - <i>Fun Home</i></b><br /><br />I'm not going to lie, I want almost every show that plays in the Circle in the Square theater to win for best set.&nbsp; I just think "in-the-round" sets are so fascinating and so inventive and <i>Fun Home</i> specifically does so many cool things with stuff rising and falling and spinning and it's just so cool!&nbsp; However, <i>Fun Home</i> is an "intimate" show, and those are sometimes overlooked for the big spectacles (which all of the other nominees are).&nbsp; Of the other nominees, I think <i>The King and I</i> is probably the most likely to win because it's the most "spectacle-y" but any of the three of them could honestly take it.<br /><br /><u>Best Costume Design of a Play</u><br /><br />Bob Crowley - <i>The Audience</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jane Greenwood - <i>You Can't Take It with You</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Christopher Oram - <i>Wolf Hall Parts One &amp; Two</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>&nbsp;</i><b>David Zinn - <i>Airline Highway</i></b><br /><br />First I want to take a moment to note the vast difference between all the costumes in these shows.&nbsp; From modern queens to grand duchesses, to medieval kings, to drag queens (actually, maybe there are similarities) these shows span quite a range.&nbsp; I'm going to tentatively give my vote to <i>Airline Highway</i> because it seems to have the funnest costumes with lots of color and glitz.&nbsp; All of the shows had nice costumes, and I wouldn't be shocked to see any of them win, but <i>Airline Highway</i> had my personal favorite costumes.<br /><br /><u>Best Costume Design of a Musical</u><br /><br />Greg Barnes - <i>Something Rotten!</i><br />Bob Crowley - <i>An American in Paris</i><br />William Ivey Long - <i>On the Twentieth Century</i><br /><b>Catherine Zuber - <i>The King and I</i></b><br /><br /><i>&nbsp;</i>The costumes for musicals that were nominated were a little boring this year, nothing super revolutionary (why <i><a href="http://www.sideshowworld.com/8-ms-sr/2013-14/Side-Show/The-Mu1.jpg" target="_blank">Side Show</a></i> was skipped over is beyond me).&nbsp; <i>The King and I</i> seemed to have the most intricate and prettiest costumes.&nbsp; That being said, I thought <i>Something Rotten!</i> had some really fun ones and I wouldn't hate it if they won.&nbsp; The other two didn't really seem like anything special, and I think they were kind of just kind of nominated for lack of a better idea.<br /><br /><u>Best Lighting Design of a Play</u><br /><br /><b>Paule Constable - <i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</i></b><br />Paule Constable &amp; David Plater - <i>Wolf Hall Parts One &amp; Two</i><br />Natasha Katz - <i>Skylight</i><br />Japhy Weideman - <i>Airline Highway </i><br /><br />If what I think was lighting was in fact lighting, then <i>"Curious Incident"</i> is a lock, no question.&nbsp; Seriously, if you haven't yet, go watch a montage video or look at some pictures or something, they do some pretty stellar stuff with the lights in that show!!!&nbsp; If somehow I'm wrong and that isn't lighting, then probably <i>Airline Highway</i>.&nbsp; <i>Skylight</i> might have some good stuff, but I can't find any good pictures/videos so to be honest, I don't know where these technical nominations are coming from.&nbsp; And <i>Wolf Hall</i> had a cool candle effect, but that's about the extent of their lighting accomplishments.<br /><br /><br /><u>Best Lighting Design of a Musical</u><br /><br />Donald Holder - <i>The King and I</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Natasha Katz - <i>An American in Paris </i><br /><b>Ben Stanton - <i>Fun Home</i></b><br />Japhy Weideman - <i>The Visit</i><br /><br />Now this is actually kind of a tough one.&nbsp; I've seen just enough videos and such of these shows to know that they all had cool lighting, but not enough to know which one was the best.&nbsp; From what I can tell, <i>Fun Home</i> and <i>The Visit</i> used their lights to help tell the story while <i>The King and I</i> and <i>An American in Paris</i> mostly used theirs to make the already gorgeous costumes/sets/dancers even more beautiful.&nbsp; I'm going to go out on a limb and guess <i>Fun Home</i>, but I really wouldn't be disappointed (or surprised) if any of these shows win.<br /><br /><b> </b><br /><b> </b><u>Best Sound Design of a Play/Musical</u><br /><br />NOBODY!!!&nbsp; MUWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA<br /><br />Ok, so I know lots of people in the Broadway community were kind of upset about this category being removed from the Tony Awards (ala #TonyCanYouHearMe), but I for one think it's a good call.&nbsp; In fact, I want to point out the power I seem to have over the internet, I mean, <a href="http://broadwaydude2378.blogspot.com/2014/06/tony-nominations-2014.html" target="_blank">I asked them to remove it as a category</a> (not just <a href="http://broadwaydude2378.blogspot.com/2013/05/tony-nominations-2013.html" target="_blank">twice</a>, but <a href="http://broadwaydude2378.blogspot.com/2012/05/tony-awards-2012-nominations.html" target="_blank">three times</a>) and they did.&nbsp; Coincidence?&nbsp; I THINK NOT!<br /><br />Look, I don't mean to diminish the work sound designers do in the theater, but it seems to me like it's more about function than about creativity.&nbsp; If Sound Design is a category, then why not Prop Design?&nbsp; Or Stage Management?&nbsp; These roles are equally important in creating a show and shouldn't be diminished, but, on the average show, it isn't really a form of creative expression in the way that the other design categories seem to be, so for that reason, I'm actually kind of glad that the category has been nixed.&nbsp; However, I'd love it if another category took it's place.&nbsp; Perhaps Best Ensemble, Best Performance of a Song, or Best Book of a Play?<br /><br /><u>Best Book of a Musical</u><br /><br />Craig Lucas - <i>An American in Paris</i><br /><b><i>&nbsp;</i>Lisa Kron - <i>Fun Home</i></b><br />&nbsp;Karey Kirkpatrick &amp; John O'Farrell - <i>Something Rotten!</i><br />&nbsp;Tarrence McNally - <i>The Visit</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />This one seems easy to me.&nbsp; <i>Fun Home</i> has a simply brilliant book.&nbsp; Equal parts funny, touching, though provoking, and charming.&nbsp; It is simply beautiful.&nbsp; That being said, there are some really good nominees here.&nbsp; <i>The Visit</i> has a super interesting story and while they haven't released much about it so I don't know just how good the book is, it looks like a fascinating play and I'd love to read a script.&nbsp; <i>Something Rotten!</i> is just a really fun, clever show and I'm not surprised that its puns, references, and cheeky humor won it a nomination.&nbsp; And as for <i>An American in Paris</i>, I mean, who can resist a good love story?<br /><br /><u>Best Original Score Written for the Theater</u><br /><br />Jeanine Tesori &amp; Lisa Kron - <i>Fun Home</i><br />Sting - <i>The Last Ship</i><br /><b>Wayne Kirkpatrick &amp; Karey Kirkpatrick - <i>Something Rotten!</i></b><br />John Kander &amp; Fred Ebb - <i>The Visit</i><br /><br />This set of nominations really surprised me.&nbsp; You might have heard how lots of big shows (particularly major musicals like <i>Finding Neverland</i>, <i>Doctor Zhivago</i>, <i>Side Show</i>, and <i>It Shoulda Been You</i>) were completely snubbed this year and received no nominations, I think that especially surprised me in this category.&nbsp; From what I've heard (which is admittedly not much) I probably would've picked the <i>Finding Neverland</i> score as my favorite to win, so I'm pretty shocked it wasn't nominated.&nbsp; As for the other nominees, I haven't heard much of <i>The Visit</i> (they haven't made a soundtrack yet) so I can't really say one way or the other.&nbsp; I own the <i>Fun Home</i> soundtrack and it has some really amazing songs (the lyrics are simply stellar) and does a good job of weaving the music into the script, but to me the score as a whole isn't the show's strong point.&nbsp; I've also listened through the soundtrack of <i>The Last Ship</i> and, while I do love a good angsty, dissonant ballad, there's just too many of them in that show and they all run together.&nbsp; Which leaves <i>Something Rotten!</i> which, while perhaps not groundbreaking, seems to be really fun and pretty clever, so I think it's my choice for Best Score.<br /><br /><br /><u>Best Revival of a Play </u><br /><br /><i>The Elephant Man</i><br /><b><i>Skylight</i></b><br /><i>This is Our Youth</i><br /><i>You Can't Take It with You </i><br /><br />By playing the numbers, <i>Skylight</i> kind of makes the most sense (it's the only one with actors, actresses, directors, and designers nominated, which implies that it is perhaps the most well rounded of the revivals).&nbsp; While I can't find out as much as I'd like to about <i>Skylight</i> (but I did hear that the London version was filmed and played in select theaters, so fingers crossed for a DVD release), it sounds like it's a nicely complex script with stellar performances and smart directing, so it seems to make the most sense to win Revival (It also doesn't hurt that it's the only nominee still running).&nbsp; That being said, I heard some stellar things about <i>The Elephant Man</i> and <i>You Can't Take it With You</i>, so I'm definitely very glad they were nominated.&nbsp; As for <i>This is Our Youth</i>...I really don't understand why it was nominated (its nomination should've gone to <i>It's Only A Play</i>), and I don't think it has much of a chance.<br /><br /><u>Best Revival of a Musical</u><br /><br /><b><i>The King and I</i></b><br /><i>On the Town </i><br /><i>On the Twentieth Century</i><br /><br />I honestly am not particularly excited by any of these.&nbsp; I acknowledge that they are strong productions but, as a matter of taste, the source material just doesn't do anything for me (Again, where's <i>Side Show</i>?!).&nbsp; That being said, they're all good choices of shows to revive (classics that we've kind of forgotten about) and each show did a very good job of connecting modern day audiences to somewhat outdated content.&nbsp; Since I wasn't particularly struck by any of them, I'm saying <i>The King and I</i> because that's what most of the "expert opinions" I read picked.&nbsp; I've heard it does a really good job of bringing new life to songs we've heard thousands of times and it's been known to sway people who weren't previously fans of the show.&nbsp; That being said, I've heard similar things about the other two shows as well (particularly <i>On the Town</i>) so it's kind of a toss up.&nbsp; All of them are well done shows and they could each win.<br /><br /><u>Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play</u><br /><br />Steven Boyer - <i>Hand to God</i><br />Bradley Cooper - <i>The Elephant Man</i><br />Ben Miles - <i>Wolf Hall Parts One &amp; Two</i><br />Bill Nighy - <i>Skylight</i><br /><b>Alex Sharp - <i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</i></b><br /><br />As usual, this is probably the hardest category.&nbsp; These roles are all so different and so nuanced and their performers so precise and talented.&nbsp; We have comedy, drama, physically demanding roles, difficult text, deep subject matter, there's just so much!&nbsp; Each and every nominee deserves all the respect and I would be entirely fine with any of them winning.&nbsp; That being said, we have to pick somebody.&nbsp; Bradley Cooper was positively stunning in his role, but the show did close a while ago so I expect he won't be on the top of most voter's lists.&nbsp; Ben Miles was also brilliant and his show(s) definitely got a lot of love from then nominators, but, to me, his character seemed somewhat simpler than some of his fellow nominees' so I think that makes his performance less impressive and therefore makes him less likely to win.&nbsp; Steven Boyer incorporated a genius duality in his role and displayed a focus and depth that I found utterly incredible.&nbsp; However, his performance was a bit on the comedic side, which usually isn't appreciated by nominators.&nbsp; Bill Nighy had a wonderful natural feeling to his performance and had the added responsibility of carrying a huge part of the show (as one of only three actors), but I think the victory has to go to Alex Sharp.&nbsp; Not only does this kid have a really cool story (Just graduated from Julliard, first professional show, etc.), he's also in one of the hottest plays on Broadway and playing the role of a lifetime.&nbsp; There is an absolute transformation that has to take place to embody Christopher and Alex dives into it headfirst.&nbsp; So while absolutely all of these nominees gave spectacular performances, I think Alex will go home with the Tony.<br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><u>Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play</u></span><br /><br />Geneva Carr - <i>Hand to God</i><br />Helen Mirren - <i>The Audience</i><br />Elisabeth Moss - <i>The Heidi Chronicles</i><br /><b>Carey Mulligan - <i>Skylight </i></b><br />Ruth Wilson - <i>Constellations</i><br /><br />This really isn't a super impressive category in my opinion.&nbsp; Of course, I'm sure all of these women were marvelous, but none of them struck me as particularly memorable/breathtaking in what little I've been able to see of them.&nbsp; It should be noted that Elisabeth Moss and Ruth Wilson have the distinguished honor of being the only ones nominated from their respective shows.&nbsp; While this is a great honor for them and something they should be very proud of, it doesn't really fare well for their chances of winning, as I don't remember ever seeing single-nominated shows winning that one category (I'm sure it has, but it's not that common).&nbsp; As for Ms. Carr, I might just not be a fan because I was so captivated by her co-stars Steven Boyer and Sarah Stiles, but to be honest her performance didn't seem that special to me, so I don't really see her winning.&nbsp; So now it comes down to Helen Mirren and Carey Mulligan.&nbsp; My gut is kind of telling me that Helen Mirren might win based (in part) on her star power and the weight this role carried (after all, Carey Mulligan only carried half of her show, but almost all of <i>The Audience</i> rested on "Her Majesty").&nbsp; That being said, I feel like I've been burned a couple of times thinking the famous Old lady from an under-appreciated show would win when in fact it's the angsty youngster from the highly nominated show who takes the statue, so that's my guess.&nbsp; Now, I don't mean to demote Ms. Mulligan's performance, from what I saw it was pretty incredible, she had a realism and quiet subtlety that I would love to see more of...maybe in a Tony acceptance speech.<br /><br /><u>Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical</u><br /><br /><b>Michael Cerveris - <i>Fun Home</i></b><br />Robert Fairchild - <i>An American in Paris </i><br />Brian d'Arcy James - <i>Something Rotten!</i><br />Ken Watanabe - <i>The King and I </i><br />Tony Yazbeck - <i>On the Town</i><br /><br />Actually, this isn't as tough a category as the plays (in my opinion).&nbsp; Perhaps it's because musicals are less likely to place the dramatic weight of the show on a leading actor, or perhaps it's because plays are more character driven whereas musicals tend to be more spectacle based.&nbsp; Of course, these fellas are all freakishly talented, but I feel like the race is really just between a couple of them.&nbsp; Ken Watanabe was a good King of Siam, but in my opinion, his character a bit too one dimensional.&nbsp; Tony Yazbeck also did a good job (or so I hear, it's hard to find clips of just him), but On the Town was a show built for an ensemble, so there really isn't room for one star to stand out that much.&nbsp; I have the greatest respect for Robert Fairchild.&nbsp; To go from the New York City Ballet company to earning a Tony nomination for your Broadway debut in a big musical is a massive accomplishment!&nbsp; That being said, in all the videos I saw, he never got to be much more than a sexy man who could dance...there wasn't a whole lot of depth of character.&nbsp; This leaves us with Brian D'Arcy James and Michael Cerveris in the classic battle between comedy and drama and I predict the award will go (as it often does) to the dramatic.&nbsp; I honestly think this is the right call, Michael's performance was heartbreaking and layered and perhaps the most emotional performance in a musical this year.&nbsp; I know he's done a lot of stuff and has a massive ibdb page, but to me this is his performance of a lifetime.<br /><br /><u>Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical</u><br /><br />Kristen Chenoweth - <i>On the Twentieth Century</i><br />Leanne Cope - <i>An American in Paris</i><br />Beth Malone - <i>Fun Home</i><br /><b>Kelli O'Hara - <i>The King and I</i></b><br />Chita Rivera - <i>The Visit</i><br /><br />All of these women are remarkably talented and, to be honest, I don't think I could chose who I want to win this category, but I know the one I think <i>will</i> win, and that's Kelli O'Hara.&nbsp; To be fair, her reputation precedes her and most people were predicting she'd win even before <i>The King and I </i>opened.&nbsp; That being said, they have a good reason for picking her, she is one of the most talented actresses on Broadway (especially in old style shows like <i>Nice Work if You Can Get It</i> and <i>South Pacific</i>) and yet she's still never won a Tony.&nbsp; I would not be surprised to hear that they decided to revived <i>The King and I</i> just to give her this star vehicle (the same way I'm convinced that they revived <i>Anything Goes</i> just to give Sutton Foster a chance to shine...and win a Tony).&nbsp; Not only does she have a sterling reputation, she really did give a stellar performance.&nbsp; She has such a great way of making an audience connect to music that can often sound outdated or grating.&nbsp; She definitely deserves a Tony eventually, and I think this is one of her best roles, so I'll be happy if she wins this year.&nbsp; That being said, there is some good competition.&nbsp; Chita Rivera is a legend and she's been given a really rich character to work with.&nbsp; Beth Malone was stellar, but I think she gave the kind of understated performance that makes a show but doesn't win awards.&nbsp; Leanne Cope gets a chance to show off her dancing here, but I'm afraid she'll be swallowed by her ensemble.&nbsp; Kristen Chenoweth probably poses the biggest threat to Ms. O'Hara, she too is in a star vehicle that seems like it was made for her, but she's won a Tony before and her show didn't do as well, so I think she'll have to take second this year to Kelli.<br /><br /><u>Best Play </u><br /><br /><b><i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</i></b><br /><i>Hand to God </i><br /><i>Disgraced</i><br /><i>Wolf Hall Parts One &amp; Two</i><br /><br />First of all, I'm surprised <i>Disgraced</i> was nominated and I don't think it has much of a shot at all.&nbsp; To be honest I (like many) am surprised it got the nomination above other plays like <i>A Fish in the Dark</i>, <i>Airline Highway</i>, and <i>The Audience</i>.&nbsp; As for <i>Wolf Hall</i>, I don't even know, I don't think it's that impressive but obviously the nominators did 'cause it got a lot of nominations.&nbsp; I don't really think it should win and if it does I'll probably flip a table.&nbsp; Which leaves us with <i>"Curious Incident"</i> and <i>Hand to God</i>.&nbsp; Again, I almost feel like it's cheating giving <i>"Curious Incident"</i> Best Play because it already won in London and because <i>Hand to Go</i>d is SO ORIGINAL!&nbsp; However, <i>Hand to God</i> is wonderful mostly because of its strong performances and brilliant script, whereas <i>"Curious Incident" </i>has it all.&nbsp; I can't stress enough how much this play is the perfect synergy of what theatre is supposed to be.&nbsp; The only show I can think of that has had a similarly revolutionary effect is <i>Warhorse</i> (which featured much of the same original team) and we all know how well that did.&nbsp; While I sincerely hope <i>Hand to God</i> gets a long life on and off Broadway (and perhaps wins a Pulitzer itself), I think we can be pretty certain that the winner this year will be <i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</i>.&nbsp;<i> </i><br /><br /><u>Best Musical</u><br /><br /><i>An American in Paris</i><br /><i>Fun Home</i><br /><b><i>Something Rotten! </i></b><br /><i>The Visit</i><br /><br />First of all, I want to point out that I read an article last fall that talked about the Best Musical race for this year was definitely going to come down to <i>Doctor Zhivago</i> and <i>Finding Neverland</i> (which both received exactly 0 nominations), and no other shows really had much of a chance...hehe.<br /><br />So anyway, as for the shows <i>actually nominated</i> it's not an easy call.&nbsp; They're all pretty different but, in my opinion <i>An American in Paris</i> is a spectacle show, <i>Fun Home</i> and <i>The Visit</i> are smart shows, and <i>Something Rotten!</i> is both of those combined AND is just a ton of fun.&nbsp; For that reason, even though it might not be the most well written or have the biggest star presence or change the way we look at theatre, it's just a fun show from beginning to end and it seems to be doing really well with critics and audiences alike.&nbsp; It, like <i>"Curious Incident,"</i> is a great example of all the pieces of a show coming together in some beautiful synergy that draws huge audiences and, I predict, Tony Awards.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><u>Best Ensemble of a Musical</u><br /><i><b>An American in Paris</b></i><br /><i>Finding Neverland</i><br /><i>Fun Home</i><br /><i>Something Rotten!</i><br /><br />So, in case you're new to my blog, you should know that this isn't a real category.&nbsp; But I've often thought that there ought to be a way to recognize a cast as a whole, so I "created" the Best Ensemble awards, hopefully they'll catch on.<br /><br />This year had plenty of strong ensembles.&nbsp; Some were mostly a strong bunch of individuals (<i>Fun Home</i>), others had an ensemble that was stronger than its leads (<i>Finding Neverland</i>) or a strong ensemble of leads (<i>Something Rotten!</i>) but I'm giving it to <i>An American in Paris</i> because they had the ensemble that literally did something that nobody else could.<br /><br /><u>Best Ensemble of a Play</u><br /><i>Airline Highway</i><br /><i><b>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time</b></i><br /><i>It's Only a Play</i><br /><i>You Can't Take it With You</i><br /><br />This year had some REALLY great "ensemble plays."&nbsp; These shows&nbsp; did a great job of taking a bunch of individuals and putting them together to make a strong unit that works as one.&nbsp; In fact, I think most of these plays (particularly <i>You Can't Take it With You</i>) could've won in another year, but it's hard to get more "ensemble-y" than <i>"Curious incident."</i>&nbsp; I mean, they were nominated for choreography for goodness sake, this ensemble of people playing a multitude of roles bouncing in, out, and around Christopher's life work together with pinpoint accuracy to create some incredible effects, and that's what makes them my pick for Best Ensemble of a Play.<br /><br /><br /><b><i><u>LUKE'S RECAP</u></i></b><br /><b><i><u><br /></u></i></b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/AirlineHighway02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/AirlineHighway02.jpg" height="320" width="244" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><i><u></u></i></b></div><i>Airline Highway:</i><br />Luke praised Airline Highway's colorful designs and strong ensemble, but didn't care much for its individual actors.&nbsp; 4 Nominations (5 Counting Ensemble). 1 Luke's Choice.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/americaninparis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/americaninparis.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>An American in Paris:</i><br />Luke praised many of the design elements of An American in Paris and called it the "classy" choice, but mentioned not expecting many wins from the actors.&nbsp; 12 Nominations (13 Counting Ensemble).&nbsp; 2 Luke's Choice.<i> </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/theaudience.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/theaudience.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Audience:</i><br />The audience was often a runner up in it's respective categories, but Luke didn't think it'd win any of it's nominations.&nbsp; 3 Nominations.&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice.<i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/constellationsv2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/constellationsv2.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></i></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Constellations:</i><br />Luke said that Ruth should be "very proud" of her nomination, but noted that single-nomination shows rarely win.&nbsp; 1 Nominations.&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice.<i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/dognighttime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/dognighttime.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time:</i><br />Luke raved about this play and even called it "the perfect synergy of what theatre is supposed to be."&nbsp; 6 Nominations (7 Counting Ensemble).&nbsp; 4 Luke's Choice (5 Counting Ensemble).<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/disgraced.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/disgraced.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Disgraced:</i><br />Luke did not have kind things to say about Disgraced, "I'm surprised Disgraced was nominated and I don't think it has much of a shot at all."&nbsp; 1 Nominations.&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice.<i> </i></div></div><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/theelephantman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/theelephantman.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Elephant Man:</i><br />The Elephant man was a strong contender in most of it's nominations, but was dismissed every time on account of being closed.&nbsp; <i>4 Nominations.&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice. </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/funhome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/funhome.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Fun Home:</i><br />Luke praised <i>Fun Home</i>'s "simply brilliant" book and stellar cast, but called the score "unmelodic" and wasn't sure if it was "fun" enough to win best musical.&nbsp; 12 Nominations (13 Counting Ensemble).&nbsp; 6 Luke's Choice.<i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/Gigi_v2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/Gigi_v2.png" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Gigi:</i><br />While Luke was "sure Victoria Clark was good," she was outshone by the women of <i>Fun Home</i>. 1 Nominations.&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice.<i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/handtogod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/handtogod.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></i></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Hand to God:</i><br />While Luke thought <i>Hand to God</i> had "strong performances and [a] brilliant script,"&nbsp; and hoped it would earn a Pulitzer prize,<i> </i>it was consistently beaten out by <i>"Curious Incident" </i>5 Nominations.&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice.<i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/heidichronicles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/heidichronicles.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Heidi Chronicles:</i><br />*See Note on <i>Constellations</i>*.&nbsp; 1 Nominations.&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice.<i> </i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/onlyaplay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/onlyaplay.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>It's Only a Play</i>:<br />While Luke praised it's ensemble and wished it'd been nominated for Best Revival of a Play, he didn't think Michah Stock would win the show's only nomination.&nbsp; 1 Nominations (2 Counting Ensemble).&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/kingandi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/kingandi.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i> The King and I:</i><br />Luke had no strong feelings about this show, but heard that it did a "really good job of bringing new life to songs we've heard thousands of times."&nbsp; 9 Nominations.&nbsp; 3 Luke's Choice. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/lastship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/lastship.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Last Ship:</i><br />The last ship was only nominated for its music which Luke found too repetitive.&nbsp; 2 Nominations.&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/onthetown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/onthetown.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>On the Town:</i><br />&nbsp;Luke liked this show and it was a runner up multiple times, but it couldn't quite beat the more recent/nominated shows like <i>The King and I</i> and <i>An American in Paris</i>.&nbsp; 4 Nominations.&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/20century_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/20century_02.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>On the Twentieth Century:</i><br />Luke thought this was a cute show and praised Kristen Chenoweth, but didn't think it would win anything.&nbsp; <i>5 Nominations.&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice.&nbsp;</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/skylight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/skylight.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Skylight:</i><br />Luke didn't think <i>Skylight</i> deserved it's design nominators, but praised the performances and the show as a whole.&nbsp; 7 Nominations.&nbsp; 2 Luke's Choice.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/somethingrotten.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/somethingrotten.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Something Rotten!:</i><br />Luke praised the show's cast and writing and called it "a great example of all the pieces of a show coming together in some beautiful synergy." 10 Nominations (11 Counting Ensemble).&nbsp; 3 Luke's Choice. </div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/ouryouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/ouryouth.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>This is Our Youth:</i><br />Luke didn't understand why <i>This is Our Youth</i> was nominated and didn't predict it would win its only nomination.&nbsp; 1 Nominations.&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/thevisit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/thevisit.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>The Visit:</i><br />Luke had trouble finding information about <i>The Visit</i>, and therefore had next to nothing to say about it.&nbsp; 5 Nominations.&nbsp;&nbsp; 0 Luke's Choice.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/wolfhall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/wolfhall.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Wolf Hall Parts One &amp; Two:</i><br />Luke had good things to say about the supporting cast, but otherwise didn't care for the show.&nbsp; 8 Nominations.&nbsp; 2 Luke's Choice.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/canttakeitwithyou.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.tonyawards.com/images/shows/canttakeitwithyou.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>You Can't Take it With You:</i><br />Luke enjoyed <i>You Can't Take it with You</i>, but it was beat out by currently running shows like <i>"Curious Incident" </i>in each category. 5 Nominations (6 including Ensemble).&nbsp; 1 Luke's Choice. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><i><u>Conclusion</u></i></b><br /><br />Well, There you have it!&nbsp; These are all my guesses and I'm sure more than half of them are wrong, but it's always fun to try!&nbsp; If you would like to hear more of my thoughts, you can check out the video blog I'm a part of on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Two-Kids-on-a-Couch/441760152651668" target="_blank">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbo4PoaLI9af_g5Ly85aawQ" target="_blank">Youtube</a>.&nbsp; Be sure to comment below about what you think about the Tony's and tune in on June 7th to watch the fun for yourself!<b><i><u><br /></u></i></b></div>Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-67833258970538436092014-11-27T06:53:00.002-08:002014-11-27T06:53:55.181-08:00The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Peter PanNBC learned from their mistakes last year and this year gave the perfect Thanksgiving Performance!&nbsp; They used their whole ensemble (which, in case you couldn't tell, is largely comprised of Newsies alumni), they used super recognizable songs, they did big dance numbers, and it was just so darn fun!&nbsp; I loved both songs they chose!&nbsp; The Pirate song was exactly what it should be (and Christian "Bor-ell"'s wig though!) and the Lost Boy's song was dynamic, entertaining, and just plain fun!&nbsp; It made me remember how much I actually do enjoy Peter Pan (although it's not my favorite adaptation of the story) and how excited I am for the live showing.&nbsp; All in all, wonderful choices, wonderful performance, and <i>*fingers crossed*</i> It's going to be a wonderful show next week.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://pmctvline2.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/peter-pan-live-poster.jpg?w=620&amp;h=825" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://pmctvline2.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/peter-pan-live-poster.jpg?w=620&amp;h=825" width="240" /></a></div><h2><br /></h2><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8991290923008243810.post-85248379953975323252014-11-27T06:45:00.003-08:002014-11-27T06:45:53.271-08:00Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: The Last ShipTo be perfectly honest, this has been my favorite performance thus far, which is surprising because, in general, I don't like this show as much as I like "Gentleman's Guide", "On the Town", etc.&nbsp; But they did it right. They chose a GOOD song that utilized the entire cast, was really catchy, and showed a lot of the themes of the show (i.e. drunken Scottish shipbuilders).&nbsp; While I'll admit that a lot of the lyrics were repetitive and the dancing was a little adelescent, I still thoroughly enjoyed the performance, I liked the choice, it definitely made me want to finally look into the show (I've been meaning to for forever).&nbsp; While "Sting" isn't a big draw for me, he hasn't been the determent that I thought he might be *cough U2 cough*.&nbsp; All in all, really great performance!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thelastship.com/_img/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://thelastship.com/_img/logo.png" height="196" width="320" /></a></div><br />Broadwaydude2378http://www.blogger.com/profile/14009264225311591538noreply@blogger.com0